This invention is directed to medical devices used during laser surgery and more particularly to an elongated endotracheal jet ventilation tube that, upon being impacted by a laser beam, will not support combustion and will remain substantially integral.
Jet ventilation is a method of enabling a patient to breathe during surgery by forcing anesthetic gases through a tube of relatively small diameter. Two known methods of jet ventilation include supraglottic jet ventilation and subglottic jet ventilation. Supraglottic jet ventilation is performed with a relatively small diameter tube attached to a laryngoscope. A distal end of the ventilation tube is sized to reach just above the vocal fold. Because the path to the vocal fold is relatively short and direct, the supraglottic jet ventilation tube need not be flexible and can be formed of a rigid biocompatible material such as stainless steel.
For subglottic jet ventilation, the tube must be of sufficient length to extend past the vocal fold, preferably into the trachea. Therefore, in subglottic jet ventilation it is advantageous for the tube to be easily flexed to conform to the curvature of a patient's airway. Since an airway conforming jet ventilation tube is needed for subglottic jet ventilation, the material of choice is usually flexible plastic such as polyvinylchloride (PVC) or silicone.
Unfortunately, PVC or silicone tubes can combust if struck by a laser beam. Thus there is general reluctance to use laser surgery with subglottic jet ventilation, especially if the surgical area is proximate to the ventilation tube. Consequently, the prospect of ventilation tube combustion in an operative field of anesthetic gases containing increased levels of oxygen or other combustion supportive gases has resulted in limited use of subglottic jet ventilation during laser surgery.
It is thus desirable to provide a subglottic jet ventilation tube that is sufficiently flexible to conform to a patient's airway and will not support combustion upon impact with a laser beam. Since a laser strike can also break apart a ventilation tube, it is also desirable to provide a subglottic jet ventilation tube that remains substantially integral upon impact by a laser beam.